Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Verſe 1. Now theſe are the children of the province]
THat is, of Judaea now a Province, though formerly a Princeſſe; now ſolitary and tributary that was once populous and great among the Nations, Lam. 1.1. Medinah: the word here rendered Province, ſometimes ſignifieth Metropolis, aliis jus dicens, a place that giveth Lawes to other places, and ſo Judaea in her flouriſh had beene. See chap. 4.20. But now it was otherwiſe, and ſo it is at this day, not onelyonly with Judaea, but with other renowned Empires and Kingdomes not a few, all which (together with moſt of thoſe Churches and places ſo much mentioned in Scripture) are ſwallowed up in the greatneſſe of the Turkiſh Empire.Shi…dler. That Medina a City in Arabia (where Mahomet lieth buried, & where his Sepulchre is no leſſe viſited then is Chriſts Sepulchre at Jeruſalem) holdeth this Medina in hard ſubjection; making her children pay for the very heads they weare; and ſo grievouſly afflicting them, that they have cauſe enough to take up a new Jeremies Elegie over their doleful captivity.
That went up out of the captivity] That liſted themſelves in Babylon, to go up. Which if any failed to do, (as by comparing verſe 5. of this chapter, with Nehem. 7.10. it appeareth ſome did) it was becauſe either they changed their minds, or their lives,His life by Craſhaw. before they came there. When that Noble Marqueſſe Galeacius Caracciolus ſet forward for Geneva, ſome of his moſt familiar friends promiſed and vowed to accompany him thither; But divers of them, when they came to the borders of Italy, turned back again, &c. and ſo might many of theſe ingagers, magis amantes mundi delicias, quàm Chriſti divitias, & graviorem ducentes jacturam regionis, quàm religionis.
Which had beene carried away] But had Gods promiſe, that they ſhould returne, be built up, planted, and not rooted out, Jer. 24.6. and his command to marry and beget children, Jer. 29.6. which ſhould inherit the promiſes; for they are good ſurehold.
Whom Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon] That Metus Orbis, & flagellum Dei, as Attilas King of Hunnes proudly ſtiled himſelf, that is, The Terrour of the world,Gualth. in Hab. 2. Eucholc. and ſcourge in Gods hand. See Eſay. 10.5. That, Ira Dei & Orbis Vaſtitas, as Tamerlan loved to be called, The wrath of God, and ruine of the world.
Had carried away to Babylon] As to his Lions-den, Nah. 2.10. but God ſent from heaven and ſaved them with ſuch a mighty ſalvation, as eclipſed that deliverance out of Egypt, Jer. 23.7, 8.
Every one unto his City] Appointed him by the preſent Governours. For during their abode in Babylon Judaea lay utterly waſte and uninhabited. The Land kept her Sabbaths, reſting from tillage, and God by a wonderful providence, kept the roome empty till the returne of the Natives.
Verſe 2. That came with Zerubbabel] That famous Prince of Judah, chap. 1.8. Governour of Judah, Hag. 1.1. who was borne in Babylon, and accordingly had a Babylonian name. His hands laid the foundation of the ſecond Temple, his hands alſo finiſhed, Zech. 4.9. whence ſome conclude that the Lord gave him a life much longer then ordinary. His children ſhall notto bed, till their work be done.
Jeſhua] This was that Jehoſhuah the High Prieſt, the great aſſiſtant of Zerubbabel in building the Temple, chap. 5.1. Hag. 1.14. Theſe were thoſe faithful Witneſſes of God in their generation, as before them had beene Moſes and Aaron, Elijab and Eliſha, and as after them Paul and Barnabas, Luther and Melanctho…, Oecolampadius and Zuinglius, &c. Chriſt ſent out his Diſciples by two and two; for two is better then one, and why? See Eccleſ. 4.9, 10, 11, 12.
Nehemiah, Saraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai] Not that famous Nehemiah, nor that renowned Mordecai ſo much ſpoken of in the book of Eſther, but others of the ſame name. Reaſons ſee in Maſter Pembles Period of the Perſian Monarchy, pag. 30, 31.
Bilſhan, Miſpar, Biguai, Rehum, Baanah] Theſe were all of them Guides and Governours to the reſt, eminent and eximious. To whom in Nehemiah is added a twelfth man, Nahumani by name, who better bethought himſelf belike: and having anſwered with that young man in the Goſpel, and ſaid, I will not, yet afterwards repented and went. Nunqua… ſerò, ſi ſeriò. Mat. 21.29, 30.This was better then thoſe many that anſwered and ſaid, We go, Sir, and yet went not.
The number of the men of the people of Iſrael] The former were Names, men of renown in the Congregation (confer Acts 1.15. Rev. 3.3.) The reſt that follow are but Numbers, Nos numeri ſumus, &c. foreign.men of common condition, the Many, who are ſet down in the ſequel of the chapter.
Ver. 3. The children of Paroſh] Queſtion is here made by ſome, whether this and other like Chapters that are nothing but names and numbers, ſhould be read in courſe; ſith they may ſeeme to be of no great uſe to us? To this Chryſoſtome anſwereth, In ſacris libris nihil contemnatur aut obitèr praetereatur, etiamſi nomina recenſeantur, that is, Let no part of holy Scripture be ſlighted or skipped over, no, though we meet with nothing but names onelyonly. But foraſmuch as there is never a leaf, nay, line, nay, letter in Gods book, that is not pure, precious, and profitable, Prov. 30.5. Pſal. 12.6. 2 Tim. 3.16. (The Rabbines have a ſaying, that there is a mountaine of ſenſe hanging upon every apex or tittle of the Word of God) therefore muſt we reade all in obedience to Him, who hath written for us theſe excellent things in counſel and knowledge, Prov. 22.20. and if any thing be yet hid, God ſhall reveale even this unto us, Phil. 3.15. Joſeph underſtood not his owne dreames at firſt, till he ſaw his brethren proſtrate before him; Then Joſeph remembred the dreames that he dreamed of them, Gen. 42.9. The Diſciples conceived not, beleeved not many things done by and to their Maſter, till he was glorified, and they farther illightened, John 2.22. and 12.6. Surely if Hippocrates could ſay of Phyſick, that there was nothing to be accounted little in it,foreign. nothing contemptible; how much more may we ſay the ſame of Divinity, and of the Scriptures?
Verſe 43. The Nethinims] i. e. Deodati, men given to God, devoted to the ſervice of his houſe. Theſe were thoſe Gibeonites that, having ſaved their lives by a lie, were for the nearer they were to the Church, the nearer to God. Their employment was to miniſter to the Levites,Joſh. 9.21. as the Levites did to the Prieſts: and this gave them occaſion to partake of the things of God, and to behold his face in righteouſneſſe.
Verſe 55. The children of Solomons ſervants] Theſe alſo were ſtrangers, that had beene employed by Solomon, and becoming Proſelytes, were incorporated into the Common-wealth of Iſrael. God is no reſpecter of perſons, Acts 10.33. He takes where he likes; ſtrangers ſhall ſit downe with Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, when the children of the Kingdome ſhall be caſt out, Matth. 8.11, 12. Solomons ſervants may have a name and a naile in Gods houſe, when his ſonnes may be excluded. Jether an Iſhmaelite, 1 Chron. 7.17. may become an Iſraelite, 2 Sam. 17.25. and Araunah the Jebuſite, an exemplary Proſelyte, Zach. 9.7.
Verſe 59. And theſe were they which went up from Telmela Tel-harſa Cherub, &c.] Places in Chaldaea, where theſe Jewes were ſcattered; as at this day their poſterity are up and downe in Turkie, and ſome parts of Chriſtendome, a diſ-jected and deſpiſed people.
Verſe 61. And was called after their name] After the name of his wives father, that Noble Gileadite; as holding it a greater honour to be allied to Barzillai, then to be looked upon as a Prieſt. It was therefore juſt upon ſuch proud and inſolent people, that as they had once ſcorned the Prieſthood, ſo the Prieſthood ſhould now ſcorne them.
Verſe 62. But they were not found] They could not prove themſelves to be of the ſeed of Aaron: and were therefore worthily turn'd off. So ſhall all be at the laſt day, that are not written among the living in Jeruſalem, that are not regiſtred in the Lambs book of life, that have beene aſhamed of Chriſt and of his words, Mar. 8.38.
Verſe 63. And the Tirſhata ſa… unto them] i. e. Zerubbabel the chief Magiſtrate, a man of great power, and no leſſe courage, who would not be guilty of paſſive injuſtice.
That they ſhould not eate of the moſt holy things] Make a gaine of the Prieſthood, which they had ſleighted when nothing was to be got by it. Now they ſhould neither do the work, nor have the meanes. Cajetan commenting upon Matthew, then when the French ſouldiers brake into Rome, and made a ſcorne and prey of the Popiſh Clergy, acknowledgeth that it was a juſt hand of God upon them, becauſe they were growne unſavoury ſalt, good for little elſe, but to look after the rites and revenues of the Church.
Till there ſtood up a Prieſt with Vrim and Thummim] That is, Never, or not in haſte. Some faint hopes the Governour might have that ſuch an Ephod with Vrim and Thummim, as was now burnt or otherwiſe loſt, might be had againe, but it ſeemed not very likely. The great High-Prieſt was now at hand, and the Ceremonials to ceaſe ſhortly.
Verſe 64. Fourty and two thouſand] Ten or twelve thouſand whereof ſeeme to be of the ten tribes that were firſt carried captive, and together with Judah and Benjamin made up that foreign Saint Paul ſpeaketh of, Acts 26.7.
Verſe 65. Beſides their ſervants, &c.] Their Maſters neceſſary inſtruments, foreign ſaith Ariſtotle, and wholly at their command. See Prov. 12.9.
Two hundred ſinging men and ſinging women] That ſang at feaſts and funerals. See Eccleſ. 2.8. Theſe perhaps might have beene as well ſpared. Nam ad quod proſunt ejuſmodi artes, (ſaith one?) & quis ejuſmodi hominum eas profitentium uſus, niſi ut aliis ſint oneri, & cibum potumque egenorum, ſicut locuſtae, praerodant, atque conſumant?Funcci….
Verſe 68. And ſome of the chief] And but ſome. All were not alike enlarged, or enabled.
Verſe 69. They gave after their ability] Men muſt take heed they ſtretch not beyond the ſtaple, and ſo marre all. But few are herein faulty: Few Macedonians, that, to their power and beyond, are willing of themſelves, &c. 2 Cor. 8.3. Rari quippe boni.
Threeſcore and one thouſand drams of gold] That is, nineteene thouſand ſixty two pounds ten ſhillings.
And five thouſand pounds of ſilver] i. e. Fifteene thouſand pounds ſterling, Theſe ſummes of money, together with the coſtly Prieſts garments, though they fall far ſhort of what was provided and given in Davids dayes, 1 Chron. 22. and 29. towards the building of the firſt Temple; yet, conſidering the minde of this poore people, and their ſmall ability, this gift was as great in Gods account. See Luke 21.1, 2. The widows mite was beyond the rich mans magnificence; becauſe it came out of a richer minde.
Verſe 70. And ſome of the people] For not halfe of them, as may be probably thought, returned: but condemned the reſt of raſhneſſe and weakneſſe, to their no ſmall prejudice.